Latest news with #Reykjavik
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Travel + Leisure
2 hours ago
- Travel + Leisure
These Hot Springs Are the Perfect Blue Lagoon Alternative—and They Have Stunning Fjord Views and Seal ‘Supervisors'
Along with whale watching and taking in cinematic landscapes, soaking in geothermal hot springs is one of the best things you can do while in Iceland—and there's one hot spring where you can do all three. Located 50 minutes north of Reykjavik off Ring Road, Hvammsvík Hot Springs sits on a hilly peninsula that juts out into the waters of the picturesque Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord). Set on a 1,200-acre estate, this remote nature resort (which opened in 2022 with a modernist bathhouse and beachfront baths) may seem like the only hint of human habitation around—but the site has deep roots in Icelandic history. It was first settled by the Vikings in the 11th century, and served as an Allied naval base (codenamed 'Falcon Beach) during World War II. Now, however, it's a serene place to soak in toasty waters amid Iceland's stunning scenery. Fronted by the fjord's sculpted walls and sheltered waters, eight rock-rimmed natural hot springs sit right by the shore, ranging from a lukewarm 95 degrees Fahrenheit to a sizzling 104 degrees. Bathers can cool off in some of the lower pools, where lapping waves keep the temperatures mild (at high tide, some even become completely submerged), or walk down the beach for a salty cold plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. While you're relaxing, you can watch the waves for curious seals—they're so common, the staff call them the "supervisors" and "quality managers." And if you're really lucky, you may see whales. Despite its name, Whale Fjord isn't known for whale watching, and it used to be the site of a whaling station. But staff say whales have been spotted in the area, with humpbacks finally making a return after a 25-year absence. For night sky enthusiasts, the hot springs are from enough from Reykjavík to have only low levels of light pollution, and the night skies are clear enough for the northern lights in winter. Amenities in the art-filled bathhouse include showers and changing areas (both communal and private), a geothermal sauna, a swim-up bar slinging drinks like cocktails and seaweed-derived wellness shots, and a bistro for Icelandic eats like seafood stew and open-faced sourdough sandwiches. Activities such as ocean swimming sessions and stand-up paddle boarding, as well as Wim Hof breathing and cold endurance classes, are on offer. Guests can also try their hand at the stone-lifting Atlas Challenge to win prizes like complimentary drinks and even free admission for a year. If you don't want to make the drive back to Reykjavik, a number of historic farmhouses and cabins—tastefully updated to preserve their heritage while having modern creature comforts—provide places to rest your head overnight. Perched atop an elevated rise with panoramic views from its private hot spring and glass-walled living room, the Hilltop House not only has the best views on the property, but also the coolest backstory. Originally built by the British Navy, the cabin is said to have been the site of secret meetings held by Winston Churchill. Weather permitting (this is Iceland, after all), Hvammsvík Hot Springs is open daily throughout the year. Admission starts around $65 USD and includes unlimited hot springs and sauna access. To reach Hvammsvík, you'll either need a rental car or you can book transfers with a tour operator like Reykjavik Excursions.
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Jón Jónsson answers are in Iceland, not Ireland, his brother says
The brother of missing Icelandic man Jón Jónsson agrees with Garda detectives that the answers to his brother's disappearance six years ago lie in Iceland . The poker player had been in Ireland less than 24 hours when he disappeared after leaving the Bonnington Hotel in February 2019 during the Dublin Poker Festival. 'You would think the answers are in Iceland,' said Jón's brother, Davíð Karl Wiium. 'Probably something prior to his disappearance has something to do with his disappearance.' Five gardaí have come to Reykjavik for the first time this week to work on the case, a development that is welcomed by Wiium and his family. Gardaí are working closely with members of the Icelandic police. 'We are very happy that they're here. It's a huge milestone in the case. It's been six years,' Wiium said. READ MORE He hopes that in Iceland, gardaí will get answers that will point them in the right direction. 'I hope, by coming here, the Irish police can get a better understanding of what he was doing before he came to Ireland. Look into his closest surroundings, talk with people of interest, the family, friends,' Wiium said. 'You get to know the person. You get to know what he was doing, and where he was before, and what he was involved in.' [ 'I'm almost certain something happened': Family fear missing Jón Jónsson was killed by hitman in case of mistaken identity Opens in new window ] Wiium met gardaí in Reykjavik this week as they began to take statements in Iceland. He has felt momentum pick up in the case again with recent media appearances such as The Late Late Show, which the family appeared on in March. A podcast series on Jónsson's disappearance also came out in January. 'We really felt the snowball rolling,' Wiium said, adding that the podcast has given the family extra strength. 'It has probably been the most positive impact from the beginning. It was like an extra push that we needed after a long, long time.' Where is Jón?/Hvar er Jón? is a co-production between RTÉ and Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. It delves into Jón's background over seven episodes, through interviews with his family and friends. Jón's family welcomed the podcast's focus on Jón's case and hoped it would bring them answers. Wiium said it was important also that the podcast 'portrayed Jón as who he is. He was a really good man, a great person and father that coincidentally started playing poker a couple of years before he disappeared.' Wiium said his brother had been looking forward to the tournament and remembers him speaking about it for weeks beforehand. 'I know he really wanted to be a poker player. He was not a sports guy. He was into board games, poker, video games, that kind of stuff. And he wanted to be really good at poker.' He speaks of a man who was always there for everyone. 'A 'family comes first' kind of man. So it's very much out of character.' The toll it has taken on Jón's family has been immense. 'It's hard for everyone. It's a big family, and emotionally it's hard. When you have someone disappearing very close to you, it starts to tear you up inside. It always creeps back. It's always there.' 'We just really want to find him, and hopefully figure out what happened.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Icelandic police investigating double murder ask gardaí to seach Dublin house
Icelandic police investigating the killings of a father and daughter in a Reykjavik hotel have sent a formal legal request to gardaí, asking them to search the victims' home in Dublin. The man, who was aged in his 50s, and his adult daughter were French citizens but had been living in Dublin for about a decade before travelling to Iceland earlier this month for a weeklong holiday. On the morning of June 14th, they were found with multiple stab wounds in a room on the fourth floor of the Edition Hotel where they had been staying. A woman, aged in her 60s, was arrested at the scene. She is the wife of the deceased man and mother of the dead woman. READ MORE Icelandic police have been liaising with both gardaí and French police since the start of the investigation to gather information about the suspect and victims. They have now sent a formal international legal request asking gardaí to search the family's home in Dublin to determine a potential motive for the killings. It is understood gardaí are happy to comply with the request. Icelandic police have yet to release the name of the victims or suspect, in line with standard procedure in the country. However, some details have emerged about the family. They moved to Ireland in 2017 where they maintained a low profile. The father is from New Caledonia, a tiny collection of islands in the south Pacific which are governed by France. The mother was born in metropolitan France to parents who came to the country from Asia. The family arrived in Reykjavik on June 7th. They stayed in two rooms at the luxury Edition Hotel where rooms costs at least €1,000 a night. During the day they went on daytrips before returning to the hotel in the evenings. The man had been suffering from advanced kidney disease and required regular treatment. They were due to return to Dublin on the morning their bodies were found by hotel staff. They had suffered extensive stab wounds and a knife was found at the scene. The mother was taken to Landspítali Hospital for treatment for serious but non-life threatening life injuries. Police are trying to determine if these injuries were self-inflicted. She remains in hospital under police guard. She has given two formal statements to police. Last week police were granted a further two weeks to hold her in custody. The Icelandic public broadcaster RÚV reports that she is likely to remain in custody until at least September when a decision will be made on whether to formally charge her with murder. Under Icelandic law, the public prosecutor has 12 weeks from arrest to determine if a suspect should face formal charges. Police are expected to object to the woman being released on bail before a decision is made. Forensic investigations of the suspected murder weapon are continuing while the room in the Edition Hotel remains sealed off as a crime scene, RÚV reports. The woman is next due before a judge on July 4th.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Alvotech's Lenders Lower Interest on Senior Secured Term Loan Facility
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alvotech (NASDAQ: ALVO, the 'Company'), a global biotech company specializing in the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide, today announced that its lenders under the Company's existing senior secured term loan facility, including GoldenTree Asset Management (collectively, the 'Lenders'), have agreed to reduce the rate of interest on its existing senior secured term loan facility (the 'Facility'). The agreement will lower Alvotech's interest payments in the first 12 months by an estimated US$8.2 million. This is an outcome of Alvotech's sustained operational improvements and strengthened financial performance over the past year. 'Since last year, we have shown significant revenue growth, operating profits and positive adjusted EBITDA, and we expect to be able to fund future growth based on milestone and product revenue. Being able to reduce our cost of capital demonstrates great confidence, by a group of experienced healthcare investors, in Alvotech's leadership, our pipeline progress and prospects for near-term product launches.' said Joel Morales, Chief Financial Officer of Alvotech. The Facility was funded in July 2024 and matures in July 2029. It originally consisted of two tranches: a $900 million first-out term loan tranche (the 'first tranche'), with an interest rate of SOFR plus 6.5% per annum, and a $65 million second-out term loan tranche (the 'second tranche'), with an interest rate of SOFR plus 10.5% per annum. In conjunction with this transaction, certain of the Lenders have agreed to increase the first tranche to include the second tranche, creating one single tranche going forward, further simplifying Alvotech's capital structure. The interest rate for this Facility will be SOFR plus 6.0% per annum, and all interest will be payable in cash. Following this transaction, the balance of the Facility is approximately $1,081 million and the Company's cash balance was approximately $152 million, as of June 25, 2025. About AlvotechAlvotech is a biotech company, founded by Robert Wessman, focused solely on the development and manufacture of biosimilar medicines for patients worldwide. Alvotech seeks to be a global leader in the biosimilar space by delivering high quality, cost-effective products, and services, enabled by a fully integrated approach and broad in-house capabilities. Alvotech has launched two biosimilars. The current development pipeline includes nine disclosed biosimilar candidates aimed at treating autoimmune disorders, eye disorders, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, and cancer. Alvotech has formed a network of strategic commercial partnerships to provide global reach and leverage local expertise in markets that include the United States, Europe, Japan, China, and other Asian countries and large parts of South America, Africa and the Middle East. Alvotech's commercial partners include Teva Pharmaceuticals, a US affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (US), STADA Arzneimittel AG (EU), Fuji Pharma Co., Ltd (Japan), Advanz Pharma (EEA, UK, Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Cipla/Cipla Gulf/Cipla Med Pro (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa/Africa), JAMP Pharma Corporation (Canada), Yangtze River Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (China), DKSH (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan), YAS Holding LLC (Middle East and North Africa), Abdi Ibrahim (Turkey), Kamada Ltd. (Israel), Mega Labs, Stein, Libbs, Tuteur and Saval (Latin America) and Lotus Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, and South Korea). Each commercial partnership covers a unique set of product(s) and territories. Except as specifically set forth therein, Alvotech disclaims responsibility for the content of periodic filings, disclosures and other reports made available by its partners. For more information, please visit None of the information on the Alvotech website shall be deemed part of this press release. About GoldenTreeGoldenTree is an employee-owned, global asset management firm that specializes in opportunities across the credit universe in sectors such as high yield bonds, leveraged loans, private credit, distressed debt, structured products, emerging markets, real estate, private equity and credit-themed equities. GoldenTree was founded in 2000 by Steven A. Tananbaum and is one of the largest independent global credit asset managers. GoldenTree manages $58 billion for institutional investors, including leading public and corporate pensions, endowments, foundations, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds. GoldenTree has over 310 employees, with offices in New York, West Palm Beach, Charlotte, Newport Beach, Dallas, London, Dublin, Munich, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Dubai. For more information, please visit Forward Looking StatementsCertain statements in this communication may be considered 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the future financial operating performance of Alvotech and may include, for example, Alvotech's expectations regarding its ability to comply with the covenants of the Facility and to exercise its rights under the Facility, estimated cost savings resulting of the agreement, potential future financings or strategic transactions, Alvotech's competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities including product launches, pipeline product development, revenue and diversification, future plans and intentions, results, level of activities, financial and operations performance, goals or achievements or other future events, and market launches. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as 'may', 'should', 'expect', 'intend', 'will', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'believe', 'predict', 'potential', 'aim' or 'continue', or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Alvotech and its management, are inherently uncertain and are inherently subject to risks, variability, and contingencies, many of which are beyond Alvotech's control. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) the ability to raise substantial additional funding, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all; (2) the ability to maintain stock exchange listing standards; (3) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (4) the possibility that Alvotech may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (5) Alvotech's estimates of revenue, expenses and profitability; (6) Alvotech's ability to develop, manufacture and commercialize the products and product candidates in its pipeline; (7) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to enroll and retain patients in clinical studies; (8) the ability of Alvotech or its partners to gain approval from regulators for planned clinical studies, study plans or sites; (9) the ability of Alvotech's partners to conduct, supervise and monitor existing and potential future clinical studies, which may impact development timelines and plans; (10) Alvotech's ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval or authorizations of its products, including the timing or likelihood of expansion into additional markets or geographies; (11) the success of Alvotech's current and future collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships or licensing arrangements; (12) Alvotech's ability, and that of its commercial partners, to execute their commercialization strategy for approved products; (13) Alvotech's ability to manufacture sufficient commercial supply of its approved products; (14) the outcome of ongoing and future litigation regarding Alvotech's products and product candidates; (15) the impact of worsening macroeconomic conditions, including rising inflation and interest rates and general market conditions, conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and other global geopolitical tension, on the Company's business, financial position, strategy and anticipated milestones; (16) Alvotech's ability to comply with the covenants of the Facility and (17) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled 'Risk Factors' and 'Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements' in documents that Alvotech may from time to time file or furnish with the SEC. There may be additional risks that Alvotech does not presently know or that Alvotech currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Alvotech does not undertake any duty to update these forward-looking statements or to inform the recipient of any matters of which any of them becomes aware of which may affect any matter referred to in this communication. Alvotech disclaims any and all liability for any loss or damage (whether foreseeable or not) suffered or incurred by any person or entity as a result of anything contained or omitted from this communication and such liability is expressly disclaimed. The recipient agrees that it shall not seek to sue or otherwise hold Alvotech or any of its directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, advisors, or representatives liable in any respect for the provision of this communication, the information contained in this communication, or the omission of any information from this communication. ALVOTECH INVESTOR RELATIONS AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONSBenedikt Stefansson, FOR MORE INFORMATIONPlease visit our investor portal, and our website or follow us on social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
United Flight Declares Emergency 8 Hours Into Flight, Sends Out International Distress Code
A United Airlines flight from San Fransisco to Rome sent out an international code of distress while flying over the Atlantic UA507 diverted and made an emergency landing in Reykjavík, Iceland No injuries were reported for the 275 passengers and 14 crew membersPassengers and crew on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Rome are safe after the plane sent out a distress Airlines flight 507, which was operating a 26-year-old Boeing 777, departed San Francisco International Airport at 5:03 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 21. Eight hours into the trip, halfway across the Atlantic Ocean, the plane descended rapidly to 21,000 feet, per flight monitoring service Aviation Source made two decisions: first, to issue squawk code 7700, an international distress code; second, to divert north to Iceland for an emergency landing.'The 777 is descending through 10,000 feet,' the flight monitoring service reported 10 minutes before landing. 'Based on its descent path and runway in use, the aircraft is aiming for a straight-in approach for Runway 01.' Around 8 a.m. local time on June 22, the flight touched down at Keflavik International Airport near Reykjavík. The plane vacated the runway before getting towed to a remote stand. United Airlines canceled the remainder of the flight to confirms to PEOPLE that none of the flight's 275 passengers or 14 crew members were injured.'United Flight 507 from San Francisco to Rome landed safely at Keflavik Airport on Sunday to address a mechanical issue,' a representative said in a statement. 'We scheduled a new flight to take our customers to Rome on Monday and have provided them with hotel accommodations.' This isn't the first time United has had issues with their flight from San Francisco to Rome. In August 2024, the airline cancelled or diverted the flight three days in a row, according to SFGATE. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. On Aug. 13, 2024, flight 507 to Rome diverted to Sacramento to 'address a mechanical issue,' a United spokesperson told the outlet. One hundred and forty eight passengers exited the aircraft onto the tarmac. The next day, the flight was diverted to Edmonton, Canada, to address a passenger's medical issues. On Aug. 15, the airline canceled one of its flights to address the other flyers still waiting to get to Rome. Read the original article on People
